Get ready for a feast for your eyes as we see details on Ozymandias' story...even though we already pretty much know it all.
The Good
The first thing you'll notice about this comic is the amazing, yet simple, cover by Jae Lee. We've seen some beauties from Lee recently on WOLVERINE and THE DARK TOWER. The great thing is Lee also does the interiors. This is a truly beautiful comic. It's almost difficult to look at this comic and think about the original WATCHMEN issues with the difference in art and color.
Assuming you've read WATCHMEN already, you know the importance of Ozymandias in the overall story. This issue digs into his backstory. We see him as a child and the events that lead to him becoming a costumed hero. The majority of the issue is told through a narrative by Ozymandias. We get his perspective on everything that happens.
The story here has already been told in WATCHMEN #11. I recall not really caring too much for Adrian Veidt the first time around but seeing his origin here, you develop more of a connection to him. Rather than the events being unfolded over a couple pages, we get to see them in details and there's more of an emotional connection.
The Bad
I was completely blown away by the art on each page. When we had the opportunity to check out all the miniseries at DC's Burbank office, we got to see the penciled/unlettered version of this issue as well. Where this is a problem is some action scenes feel a little static. Each image is like a work of art but they look more like single images at times rather than part of a complete story.
The other problem is, as mentioned, we already know all of this. It's a nice refresher if you haven't read the original series recently or if you just want to see it told more in depth.
The Verdict
One of the most important characters in WATCHMEN finally has his own miniseries. We saw his origin in the original WATCHMEN but now we get to see more details with gorgeous art by Jae Lee. This is a good and bad thing. We already know the story but seeing it spread out like this is a way to feel more of a connection to the character. We get a better idea of what motivates him. He has become increasingly more interesting and it will be interesting to see where the rest of this series takes the character and if it will add anything new.